LIHU‘E — Renae Hamilton knew that the future for Sandra Galas was bright ever since she met the young woman, while she was a teacher at St. Catherine’s School in Kapa‘a. She said Galas, known by friends and family as
LIHU‘E — Renae Hamilton knew that the future for Sandra Galas was bright ever since she met the young woman, while she was a teacher at St. Catherine’s School in Kapa‘a.
She said Galas, known by friends and family as “Sandy,” was a leader in the school through her service in the student government and was always “upbeat with a smile on her face.”
It was a characteristic that, Hamilton said, was also matched with Sandy’s outgoing and kind personality and desire to help others.
“She always made an impression on me from the very beginning,” said Hamilton, executive director of Young Women’s Christian Association Kaua‘i. “I knew she would be doing amazing things with her life. I had no doubt about that.”
But those dreams, she said, were cut short.
Galas, a 27-year-old former assistant food and beverage manager at the Grand Hyatt in Po‘ipu, was found dead on Jan. 25, 2006 in her parked car in the garage of her ‘Ele‘ele home. An autopsy report determined that Galas was asphyxiated and suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
Her estranged husband, Darren Galas, was arrested in October 2012 — nearly six years after her death — for allegedly killing Sandy and will make his next court appearance on Sept. 30.
To keep her memory alive, Hamilton said the YWCA will dedicate a memorial garden to Sandy Galas next week adjacent to the organization’s new women’s center.
The effort, Hamilton said, began about a year ago after the YWCA purchased its new building at 4410 Hardy Street in Lihu‘e. Shortly after the purchase, the nonprofit’s board of directors decided to construct the memorial garden to inspire and rally the community around YWCA’s main mission: to end violence against women.
“We had an opportunity to create a space that is very relevant to the work that we do,” Hamilton said. “In Sandy’s memorial garden, the bigger picture and what we are wanting this memorial garden to be … really is to remember and honor all the women who have lost their lives to violence. It’s just a beautiful fit in terms of what we want to do with our work in our community.”
Hamilton did not disclose actual costs but said the YWCA only paid for Sandy’s memorial plaque and a few plants for the memorial garden, since some of the lava rocks holding up the plaque and granite for an adjacent round bench were donated by local businesses. She said the YWCA will also place a time capsule in the round bench detailing the YWCA’s history and Sandy’s life.
Sandy’s story, she said, is one that she hopes will inspire others to speak up when they witness acts of violence against women and encourage other abused women to seek help.
TGI reported that Sandy Galas filed for a divorce from her estranged husband and was engaged in a legal custody battle involving her two young children when she was killed.
“She was building a new life for herself free of violence and wanting new goals … when her life ended,” Hamilton said. “There are so many victims who also had very bright futures just cut short and Sandy is our model for that and kind of the voice for all of those behind her and anybody in the future that will lose their life to violence.”
The memorial garden dedication ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in front of the new YWCA Women’s Center.
Information: YWCA of Kaua‘i at 245-5959 or visit www.ywcakauai.org.
• Darin Moriki, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-3681 or dmoriki@thegardenisland.com.
